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Creating a Documentary

Creating a Documentary

Students of Roberto Clemente Community Academy’s Broadcast Technology Program will be immersed in a spectrum of social issues through documentary films. Our CTE (Career & Technical Education) Broadcast Technology Program has partnered with REACT to FILM an organization that aims to educate young adults by leveraging the best issue-based filmmaking to promote social responsibility and spark civic engagement.

REACT to FILM is a platform of educational programs in high schools and colleges. REACT to FILM leverages the best social-issue films that will expose our Broadcast Technology students to today’s critical issues. This partnership aims to teach media literacy and promote civic engagement in classroom discussion with peers and their teacher, Ms Amador, and to inspire them to find their own voice on matters of universal civic importance. Our students have been provided with educational resources and support for the course. They will also watch three documentary films Planet Rock, Count Down to Zero and Let’s Talk about Sex.

Our Broadcast Technology students have started this Documentary Unit with the analysis of Planet Rock. Planet Rock examines how crack cocaine ravaged American cities, and explores how the drug also transformed popular culture, especially hip-hop. Students will also watch and study Count Down to Zero. Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them. The last documentary our students will screen is Lets’s Talk About Sex. Lets’s Talk About Sex takes a revealing look at how American attitudes towards adolescent sexuality affect today’s teenagers.

Once our students have viewed the three aforementioned films, they will produce their own short documentary that will address a social issue that they feel is important to educate their audience about. The goal is to empower them to be conscience reporters, filmmakers, and IB learners.